Bioethics Paper: Prenatal Genetic Screening Essay

Prenatal Genetic Testing has become one of the most prominent and influential advances in clinical genetics today. Every year, hundreds of couples request screening services, hence, subjecting themselves to the results of the diagnosis. For some, the information may be a sigh of relief, and for others a whisper of warning. The concept of Prenatal Genetic Screening has only recently surfaced for controversy. In consequence to the completion of the Human Genome Project (2003), the option for Prenatal Genetic Screening can now be performed for an affordable 1,000 dollars. Utilizing state of the art multiplex technologies such as gene chips and micro beads, we can already track hundreds of thousands of unique SNPs or Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms to screen our genome at over half a million pinpoints that are believed to be associated with particular traits, diseases, susceptibilities, and conditions. In addition to screening for diseases, this technology threatens to tamper with our perception of individuality. Raising the question of constitutionality, and whether it should be permitted to terminate a pregnancy based for reasons of sex, hair color, or eye color [Designer Babies]. If approved by the FDA, this option is predicted to prompt a dramatic increase in pregnancy terminations and lead to a host of practical and legal questions. Some believe that the concept is simple. Utilizing potential knowledge of the impending future, we are given the chance to think and to prepare. We are given the chance to absorb the entirety of the situation and consult a genetics counselor. With prior knowledge we could save people years of suffering and financial trouble. Others question the effectiveness and benefits of genetic screening and wonder if the process would prompt undue emotional distress, distress for the safety of the fetus and also the issue of privacy. And continue to note the dark and looming connotations of Designer Babies. It is evident that the latter argument is the common preference, however, I will take the road less taken. Five years ago I lived an innocent childhood, where everyone laughed and played, and there was no worse suffering beyond scraping my knee on the pavement. Two years later that reality was shattered. What I didn’t know at the time was that there were children who lived lives far different from mine. Children like my baby cousin Jasmine. Jasmine was born with a rare genetic disorder called Pfeiffer’s Syndrome, a disease characterized by the early fusion of the bones in her skull. She would never live my childhood reality, for frankly she would never live to the age. Often times I wondered what could have been done, and only recently has it revealed itself to me that â€Å"Prenatal Genetic Screening† was the answer to my persistent question. If only it had been available at the time, maybe Jasmine could have grown up to be the next â€Å"James D. Watson,† â€Å"Francis Crick† or â€Å"Rosalind Franklin.† Now we will never know. Now that it is possible to save, to relieve, and to cure, is it worth the risk to give children like Jasmine a fair chance at life? I believe so. Works Cited â€Å"The President’s Council on Bioethics: The Future of Newborn Screening: Clouds on the Horizon?† The President’s Council on Bioethics: The Future of Newborn Screening: Clouds on the Horizon? N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. â€Å"The Genetic Testing Controversy.† The Genetic Testing Controversy. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. â€Å"History and Overview of Newborn Screening.† Welcome. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. â€Å"New Prenatal Genetic Test Is Much More Powerful at Detecting Fetal Abnormalities.† ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 09 Feb. 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. â€Å"Prenatal Diagnostic Tests and the Social, Legal, and Ethical Implications.† Prenatal Diagnostic Tests and the Social, Legal, and Ethical Implications. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.

Eating Disorders Essay

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the three main types of eating disorders. Central Idea: To inform my audience about anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. Introduction: Two years ago, I was hit with the news that my mentor was leaving to go to Remuda Ranch, which I learned was a rehabilitation center for women struggling with eating or anxiety disorders. This was extremely hard for me to hear because she is like my big sister and I care a lot about her and hated that she had to go through something like this. After she left, I did a lot of research on eating disorders. I did this just so I would have a better understanding on what she was going through, and also to find out how I could help her, things I could say or do. So today I am going to share with you about three different types of eating disorders. Body: (Transition: First, I am going to talk about Anorexia Nervosa.) I. According to the National Eating Disorder Association, they define anorexia by self-starvation and excessive weight loss. A. Anorexia is a mental health condition and is rated one of the highest death rates. 1. Anorexia is one of the more frequent psychiatric diagnoses in young women. 2. Around 90-95% of individuals who suffer from anorexia are female. 3. Anywhere from 5-20% of people who suffer from anorexia will die. B. Although those who fight anorexia have a list of different symptoms, there are four key ones to look for. 1. They refuse to maintain body weight at a minimal normal weight that is healthy for their body shape, age, and height. 2. The second one is that they have a deep fear of weight gain. 3. Also, they have a severe concern with their body weight and shape. 4. Finally, in women, a loss of menstrual periods will occur. (Transition:  Next, I am going to talk about Bulimia.) II. Based off of the website, nationaleatingdisorder.com, Bulimia is a disorder where a person indulges in habitual binges and then tries to avert any sort of weight gain by vomiting, taking pills, fasting, laxatives, or excessive exercising. A. Bulimia is extremely dangerous because it is one of the harder eating disorders to detect in individuals. 1. More commonly, it is preceded by dieting behavior. 2. Those who are bulimic are usually at an average or normal weight. B. Sufferers of bulimia compare their self-worth too heavily on their size and weight. 1. This mindset usually leads to constant feelings of isolation, harmful thoughts, and extreme low self-esteem. 2. Another thing is that more often than not, they recognize that their behaviors and actions are not normal, which sets in an extra feeling of guilt and loneliness. C. Again, there are a ton of symptoms that follow up with having bulimia, but there are four main ones that usually reside in most bulimics. 1. Bulimics repeatedly go through the cycle of bingeing and purging. 2. When they binge, they eat way beyond the feeling of being comfortably full. 3. Most times, bingeing will cause them to feel guilty which points them in the direction of dieting. 4. Last thing is again, they have extreme concern with their body and weight, in other words really low self-esteem and insecurity issues. (Transition: Finally, I am going to end with Binge eating.) III. Binge eating, also known as compulsive eating, a lot of the time gets confused with Bulimia. Although they are a lot alike, they have one major difference that sets them apart. People who endure binge eating do not purge. A. Binge eating is defined by uncontrollable, excessive eating. 1. Binge eaters often use food to replace a void, in other words, they use it as a way to block out feelings, emotions, and daily stresses. 2. After a binge, the person feels a enormous amount of guilt and shame. 3. Following the feelings of guilt and shame often leads to fasts and dieting. B. A binge eating disorder isn’t caused by just one factor, but many. A couple examples of these factors could be a person’s genetics, life experiences, and emotions. 1. Recent research has shown that binge eating, along with other eating disorders, is dealing with  biological abnormalities. The website www.mirror-mirro.com, says that one cause of binge eating is related to the hypothalamus, which is a part of the brain that controls the appetite. It is said that the hypothalamus sends false signals to the brain in regards to hunger. 2. A lot of the time, emotional feelings of depression, is connected to binge eating. Statistics show that half of those struggling with binge eating are depressed or have been, usually dealing with a monumental moment which changed their life. 3. Life changing experiences, like being sexually or emotionally abused, are a huge factor in anyone’s life who suffers from any kind of an eating disorder. Family plays a huge role, whether being extremely critical, especially regarding the body, can lead to being a victim of an eating disorder later in life. IV. Conclusion Whether it be anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating, eight million people in the United States alone, battle with an eating disorder. This number is disturbingly high and continues to increase each year. Although all different: anorexics fight starvation, bulimics wrestle with bingeing and purging, and binge eaters battle with bingeing and fasting. It is important to realize that eating disorders aren’t all about poor self-images and low self esteem, but dealing with many other factors like genetic make-up and the need for control. Works Cited Eating Disorder Information; Bulimia, Anorexia, Binge/Purge & Compulsive Overeating. Web. 01 Oct. 2010. . National Eating Disorders Association. Web. 01 Oct. 2010. . National Eating Disorders Association. Web. 01 Oct. 2010. .

Othello and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner Comparative Essay

The transformation between Othello, a 16th century Shakespearean tragedy and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, a 1960’s Romantic Comedy, can be compared by addressing themes that are present in each text. The theme of race can be used to compare the different attitudes of each context, surrounding the significant black characters of Othello in Othello and John in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and there interaction with white females that belong to an upper middle class. The theme of interracial marriages can be used to compare the different values and attitudes of each context, towards a black & white marriage. This applies to both Othello & Desdemona and John & Joanna. By exploring the different contexts, ideas and techniques incorporated into each text, we can apprehend the different messages that each composer has attempted to convey to their audience. Othello – Power of Love Othello is a Shakespearean tragedy, set in Elizabethan Times that present the relationship between, Othello, a ‘moor’ who’s an official in the Venetian army and Desdemona, the daughter of a noble Venetian Senator, Brabantio, and how despite their different experiences in love, a strong relationship can occur, without any initial external input. Desdemona’s assertive behaviour towards romantically pursing Othello, demonstrates her confidence and power, which she maintains throughout the play. Most significantly, the fact that Othello did not ask for Brabantio’s permission to marry Desdemona, demonstrates how Othello did not consider the traditional values of Elizabeth society. However as they play develops, Iago’s manipulation of Othello’s insecurities, leads to the relationship between Othello and Desdemona falling apart. This reflects Elizabethan society and its values towards love and marriage. In Elizabethan times, a marriage between a man and a woman was considered extremely important. Women were generally considered to be in the possession of their father, this was because men were considered powerful and important people. It was in the father’s power to determine whom their daughter married, provided that his family were respectable and had money. A marriage between a ‘moor’ and a white would not have been socially acceptable in Elizabethan times, seeing that the Moorish skin colour portrayed a sense of filth and evil. Whites being superior and educated, while others were considered inferior. This theme can be explored through the objectification of Desdemona in scene 1 Act 3 Lines 182-187 â€Å"How to respect you. You are lord of all my duty: I am hitherto your daughter. But here’s my husband: And so much duty as many mother showed To you, preferring you before her father, so much I challenge that I may profess Due to the moor, my lord.† We see that Desdemona, is detaching herself from her father, just as her mother did to her father. This demonstrates her power and her ability to make decisions despite her father’s approval.

Quality Function Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Quality Function Development - Essay Example two factors would lead to confusion and misinterpretation of data when a product moves from the market research stage to design stage and then to engineering stage and at last to manufacturing stage. One can quite often find that once the customer expectations are passing from the market research stage to manufacturing stage (Bunch, 2003, pp.31-36) a lot of their expectations would be lost in each stages and the voice of the organization enters into the product design stage. As a result the company goes in for incorporating in the product what the customers had not asked in for rather than incorporating in the product what the customers had asked in for (Cochran, 2003, pp.43-47). But if the company goes in for incorporating QFD system then the companies can always go in for incorporating the customer's expectations in the product. QFD helps in removing the design error so that company need not spend money and time in redesigning the product. QFD is a set of graphically oriented planning matrices that helps in identifying factors based on which decisions can be made during any phase of the product development cycle (Gordon, 2003, pp.37-40). QFD is nothing but a perfect blue print for quality by design. The results of incorporating QFD in an organization can be measured by looking into the number of designs and engineering changes brought in during the product development and manufacturing stage. It can also be evaluated based on the cost incurred quality of product and time taken to market the product after incorporating QFD (Franco, 2001, pp.28-32) and what had been the value of these factors before QFD was implemented. Once QFD is implemented then the amount of time and money spent by an organization on redesigning and modifications drastically comes down. Once... From this paper it is clear that  an organization that properly implements Quality Function Development can improve their engineering knowledge in producing a particular product; this can in turn improve productivity and quality of the product and can also cut down the production time and cost.As the report highlights  QFD is a set of graphically oriented planning matrices that helps in identifying factors based on which decisions can be made during any phase of the product development cycle. QFD is nothing but a perfect blue print for quality by design. The results of incorporating QFD in an organization can be measured by looking into the number of designs and engineering changes brought in during the product development and manufacturing stage. It can also be evaluated based on the cost incurred quality of product and time taken to market the product after incorporating QFD and what had been the value of these factors before QFD was implemented. Once QFD is implemented then th e amount of time and money spent by an organization on redesigning and modifications drastically comes down. Once this is achieved it means that the company can launch their product in the market much earlier than they could by following the traditional method.  QFD process starts with listing down the goals or objectives that the company has to achieve. This list is prepared by finding out what the customers expect from a product.

Read Robert C. Solomon's article It's Good Business on pg. 36 of the Essay

Read Robert C. Solomon's article It's Good Business on pg. 36 of the 11th edtion. Summarize, do you agree or disagree with Solomon's position Why or why not Give examples to support your claim - Essay Example s can work in favor of a business while providing examples of how businesses fail when they don’t work within ethics are all seen as practical, real life situations that determine the success or failure of a business. The first main point that Solomon points out is to define what ethics means within a corporation or small business. He shows that ethics is one that is needed on all levels of management and ownership and which creates a framework of success for individuals. More importantly, there is an establishment of ethics is not based on what it means to keep a job or to be a successful business person, but to instead develop a mindset that is based on how one works within a community. Solomon states that â€Å"Executives are most effective and successful when they retain their ‘real life’ view of themselves, their position, and the human world outside as well as inside the corporation. Business ethics, ultimately, is just business in its large human context† (34). This particular statement is essential as it defines what ethics means in business. Rather than thinking of it as following business policies and doing what one is told in terms of management, is the need to unde rstand the humanistic element as well as how actions will affect others. This particular point is one that is the foundation of ethics and which shows that the definition of ethics needs to be considered outside of the assumptions made by those who analyze different perspectives. An example of this definition can be seen in almost any business. A personal example is seen from a friend who works within a computer organization. The mindset in which this individual has is to please the boss and to make sure that the work is efficient and effective. The managerial staff as well as the main CEO is interested in how this will create profit for the business. Similar to Solomon’s point, this doesn’t show a term of ethical behaviors. This individual may find a problem with the

Desert Exile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Desert Exile - Essay Example Since his father received a good salary while working at Mitsui, Uchida used to live a more decent life than most of his Japanese colleagues in the United States. The author also witnessed other Japanese families suffer in the United States; this is because Japanese Americans experienced immense difficulties than the aliens (Uchida 10). Uchida’s experiences before the war were pleasant; as he experienced unity and togetherness of Japanese Americans who lived in the United States. His father could invite guests who would come and play golf with him while Uchida’s mother took tea with her female friends (Uchida 14). From the experiences that Uchida had, it is apparent that life used to be enjoyable before the war broke out. The author seems to have lived happily with his friends and family. Uchida enjoyed life to the fullest since the family could take trips with a lot of ease because the father had a railroad pass that enabled him to visit various places without any restrictions. During the Second World War, the Japanese went through several experiences that brought immense problems into their lives. Following the outbreak of the war, Japanese-Americans in the military had to be ousted. This emanated from the attack on Pearl harbor, which angered the United States and created resentment towards the Japanese-Americans. The faced numerous problems; as the United States government kicked them out of their homes. The U.S. government also introduced camps, which the army guarded by the army in order to ensure that they did not escape. The Japanese experienced problems with sanitation and overcrowding in the camps; as many of them could be confined in small camps. It became difficult for the Japanese-Americans to mingle with people from other racial groups. The segregation of the Japanese-Americans made them experience problems with access to essential services, especially from the government that completely neglected them (Uchida 52). The

Assessing and Understanding the Foreign Exchange Market Essay

Assessing and Understanding the Foreign Exchange Market - Essay Example (Investopedia) Chinese foreign exchange market plays an important role in the development of its economy. It is an important source of investment and income in China. The Chinese foreign exchange market mainly deals in Chinese RMB Renminbi Yuan. The basic function of Chinese foreign exchange market is to conversion the currencies. For example in this market the U.S. dollars can be converted into Chinese RMB. Another important function of Chinese currency market is that it facilitates international business transactions of China through the conversion of currencies. (Laura Acevedo) An important tool for stable economic growth is currency value and this market helps the central bank in controlling the value of its currency through buying and selling. It is also a productive source of investment for the investors in China because if they a currency at a lower rate and due to fluctuations in currency rate they are able to sell it at a higher rate than this sure is a profitable investment . (Maps of World) Spot rate is the price that a buyer is ready to pay for buying a currency in terms of another currency. Chinese spot exchange rates are determined by the central bank. This determination by the central bank is based on a number of factors which include the buying and selling of Yuan in different exchange markets, the value of Yuan in term of other currencies- as this value keeps on changing the spot rate of Chinese exchange market also changes simultaneously. These rates are very important in the Chinese currency market as they are the current exchange rate on the basis of which the day to day transactions of the Chinese stock market take place. And without these rates no business is possible in this market. (Investopedia) Forward exchange rate is the rate at which a currency can be traded for one currency at a particular time in future. This time ranges between two days to twelve months. China puts forward exchange rate reforms when necessary in order to maintain its social and economic stability. Forward exchange rate plays an important role in insuring foreign exchange risks because when a country enters in a transaction through forward exchange rate and in the meantime the exchange rates fall badly then the forward exchange rate act as insurance against unprofitable dealings. (Ozforex) One of the most important theories used for the determination of currency exchange rate is purchasing power parity theory (PPP). It is an economic theory that calculates the changes that are to be made in the currencies of two countries in order to make the difference between their exchange rates and their purchasing power equal. Mathematically this theory is represented as follows: S=P1/P2 Here â€Å"s† is the exchange rate between the two currencies. â€Å"P1† is the price of good x in country one and â€Å"P2† is the price of good x in country two. This theory can be elaborated by an example that if a cold drink costs 1.50 Yuan in ch ina than it should be worth 1.00 us dollars if the exchange rate between U.S.A and china is 1.50 USD/RMB. This theory helps the economists in determining the standard of living in different countries. (Investopedia) It is possible that a currency may be devalued but the standards of living may remain high due the higher purchasing power of the people. Most of the economists prefer purchasing parity concept in the calculation of GDP as countries like china intentionally understate their currency value which results in the understatement of GDP. Therefore mostly the GDP of different countries is calculated through purchasing parity approach. This theory also helps in the correction of trade

The Effects of Baby Boomers Retiring Will Have on the Economy Research Paper

The Effects of Baby Boomers Retiring Will Have on the Economy - Research Paper Example At each stage, of its life cycle, the baby boom generation has changed the market for many products, altered the demand for public services, as well as the nature of the labor force. This paper delves into the effects the baby boomers’ retiring will have on the economy of the United States over the next 20 years. Introduction In the world’s history, baby boomers (who represent 28% of all the United States’ adult population) have been one of the most productive generations. This generation took advantage of subsidized scholarships and school loans from the government, which enabled them to get proper education, which in turn helped them to secure high paying jobs in all sectors of the US economy with tremendous added gains from globalization and newer technologies (Talbott, 2010). Social scientists, analysts, and policymakers have developed a great interest regarding the effects of the retirement of baby boomers on the economy of the US and the nation at large. Th e year 2005 marked the commencement of the exodus of baby boomers from the labor force. Since then, every seven seconds, a baby boomer attains the retirement age of sixty years, and this process will continue for the next twenty years. These retirements foreshadow a diminution of workplace knowledge as well as knowledge-based experience at a time when such experience and knowledge are more and more vital to the economy of the US as well as to the organizations that comprise it (Beazley, Boenich, and Harden, 2002). Estimates by the Employment Policy Foundation indicate that with baby boomers reaching the age of retirement, by the year 2012, businesses will experience a severe shortage of six million employees, and this number will increase to thirty-five million employees by the year 2030. Slower workforce growth implies that there will be slower rate of growth of the economy, and consequently, the living standards of everybody in the nation will be lower. Essentially, the baby boom generation’s retirement threatens to limit the potential of the economy of the United States, reducing the speed limit on how fast it can grow. Economists projects a considerable decline in the growth of the US economy to 2.2% by the year 2015, compared with a typical growth of about 3.2% during the last forty years (The special committee on aging, 2007). According to Gordon (2005), over the next next twenty years, a great number of baby boomers, roughly seventy million baby boomers, some highly skilled, will start leaving the job market of the United States of America gradually, with only forty million employees coming in. Following this retirement, skill shortages throughout the whole economy will get to critical levels. Woodruff (2011) points out that reports from the Pew Research Center indicate that for the next twenty years, over ten thousand baby boomers will be retiring daily. This retirement will have a remarkable effect on everybody and on all measures of the United States’ economic output (Talbott, 2010). For instance, it will lead to a slowdown of about 0.5% in the growth rate of in the workforce every year from its average 1.6% per annum since 1950-2007. The decline in the growth of the workforce in the United States is an indication that the nation’s labor supply may be inadequate to sustain the standards of living (Jarvik, 1980). The special committee on aging (2007) reports the fact that the aging and retirement of baby boomers will have potential impacts on the economy of th

Surrealism and the Fashion Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Surrealism and the Fashion Industry - Essay Example The essay "Surrealism and the Fashion Industry" talks about the surrealism movement and its connection with fashion industry. The collaboration has made the conjoined elements to form a distinct art form, which has gained recognition among popular art media such as magazines. This is exemplified by Vogue magazine, which has allowed industry players such as Cecil Beaton to explore and expand the limits of their standards. The developmental timeline of the bond between the surrealist cultural movement and the fashion industry began in the early 20th Century. This onset was witnessed when the surrealist movement disengaged from the written statement, which required it to embrace and focus on objects. The change of focus and the use of surrealism in the realm of the fashion industry is explicitly evident in common use of odd art pieces and objects, which are easily transformed to textile print work and jewellery among many other fashion forms. This offers designers freedom to develop â⠂¬Å"art forms† that find replication of form on either sides of the collaboration. The collaboration greatly contributed to the imagination of what lay beneath the art, which was easily transformed to wearable clothing pieces. Initially, fashion was not regarded as an art form and therefore surrealism, which is an art, was thought to be poles apart when considered alongside the fashion industry. However, this transformed when the surrealist movement’s written form of art and canvassed art forms shifted focus.

The institution and I Essay Example for Free

The institution and I Essay This is similar to Brett; the protagonist in Scott Monks unconventionally written novel Raw. We first meet Brett at his umpteenth time of committing a crime. On his journey to his latest institution; The Farm, we learn of his negative attitude and surprise of being sent to a federation-styled homestead instead of a concentration camp patrolled by Dobermans and gun-toting guards. His negative attitude to authority is exemplified by constantly referring to the police as pigs and similies like Cops and food go together like pigs and slop. Sam is the symbolic role model who initiates Bretts reform, he offers his hand for a handshake, but Brett declines the offer. This symbolises his reluctance to change from his former self and habits. Scott Monk has deliberately put this theme of binary opposites in  the novel, to show how different the experiences are on individuals on different sides of the rules. When Brett first meets the other criminals occupying The Farm he is shown two different paths he can follow while there; he can follow the rules and rely on the institution for support and be like Josh. The other option is to have a blatant disregard and disrespect for the rules; and turn to violence as the answer to everything and be like Tyson. Brett is always at crossroads and does not show any change until the end of the novel, where he is put in a position where he must choose what path he wants to lead in life. The Farm does not use solitary confinement or violence as a form of punishment towards the boys, instead they are enforced upon the individual i.e. When Brett drink drives and crashes the Ute, he is punished by doing chores such as †¦pulling out weeds†¦ and †¦scrubbing the rust off oil drums†¦. Brett does not prefer to do such chores because he knows he is already being sent back to Sydney for breaking the law. Another way is by punishing the whole group for an individuals action, this leads to the individual harassment and negative victimisation towards this individual i.e. Brett tries to escape and is victimised by Tyson and his group who shave the hair off his head for the fear of losing privileges. The symbolic affects of before and after The Farm is represented by Rebecca and Caitlyn. The significance of Rebecca proves that Brett is only semi-rehabilitated; Rebecca symbolises Bretts continuing path to crime. Caitlyns personalities of being conservative and conformist replicate the path that Bretts life will lead to if he abides to the rules while staying at The Farm. It is because of Rebecca that he is sent away and Sam tells him only you can change ur life. This is the main theme to the whole novel, and has been put in deliberately by Scott Monk. He does this because he knows that his book is aimed at young teenagers and he knows that it will attract the attention of a lot of young teenagers because of its contents; rebelling amongst the  whole world because †¦it hates you†¦, fights, sex and run-ins with the law. Dissimilar to Raw, Shawshank Redemption a film directed by Frank Darabont, is set on themes focusing on the negative effects on the individual while in prison. Shawshank focuses mainly on physical abuse and punishment, this is seen in the fourth scene when Warden Norton is laying out the rules; †¦no blasphemy but verbal and physical abuse is condoned. Shawshank is different to Raw because it can be seen that, the guards physically abuse the inmates. Also; the plot of Raw is that the change is within the individual, but in Shawshank, the plot is to keep the criminals inside the dull grey walls away from the emerging and colourful society; There is only 3 ways to spend money on prisons: more walls, more bars, more guards. This piece of dialogue is ironic because the warden himself is in charge of a money laundering scheme throughout the prison, this is only possible with the help of the smart Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins). This operation leads Andy to find sarcasm in saying that On the outside I was an honest man, straight as an arrow, I had to come to prison to be a crook. This is an individual effect that Andy has had because of the institution; he has become a criminal. There is a belief that if an inmate has been in a prison for too long they rely upon the institution and become institutionalised i.e. Brooks; he served his 50 year sentence and throughout that time he is the prison librarian; †¦outside he is nothing. Upon leaving the prison he is given a place to stay and a job at Food Way. He doesnt like how the world has changed so fast and all he wants to really do is †¦get a gun and rob the Food Way so they would send me home. _Home_, he refers to the prison as home, by being away from a growing society, the institution has left him with a negative effect of being confused and not knowing anything about the outside world, but relying on the support of the institution. Brooks was rendered so incapable of independent thought and human operation in the world that he committed suicide. This portrays how Shawshank has become the opposite of rehabilitation and shuns out the beliefs of hope and ever getting out of the high; stone walls. Just like it did to Red, when Andy tries to explain how he can never become institutionalised, Red replies  with: Hope is a dangerous thing. It can drive a man insane. This explains how in Shawshank, redemption is a hard thing to find. Redemption is the improving of something, but if inmates are _hoping_ to _improve_, will they find redemption? Richard Nevilles article Come on, kids dare to resist published by The Sydney Morning Herald on the 3rd of May 2004. Outlines how the selfish gen Xers are more afraid of losing their credit cards than losing the planet. A gen Xer is a person born on Earth anytime between 1965 and 1980. Richard Neville is a man who doesnt want technology to rule our worlds, he is a hero to some and an enemy to others, his views are more futuristic, he is very concerned to where the future is headed and how we will get there. He himself is portrayed as the institution here, it is his views that make a lasting impact on people, the reason he is well known for his publicity. When commenting on a recent protest about young university students wanting lower fees he says this; The students have a point about the fees, but why cant they get upset about other peoples problems? He is referring to the war in Iraq. He wants the young students to look to the positive side and see that they have the education that they are taking for granted; the education a person their age in Iraq is deprived of even if they can afford it. These youngsters in Australia do not understand how lucky they are to be friends with America and not enemies like Iraq. His political based comments do not stop there; As for the future leaders of Australia, the strapping young professionals, the entrepreneurs, the trainee philosophers, where are they? Locked up with mortgage brokers, every one. See how he predicts a positive effect and job prospects towards _all_ future leaders of Australia and by saying that they are Locked up with mortgage brokers, every one. He is emphasising that they are experiencing a negative effect from their institutions and are becoming institutionalised by not being able to reach for that final goal; they can see it, but they cant have it. This is just like Brett in Raw he wanted to be like Josh, but couldnt because he could never leave his old habits behind him. This can also be related to Andy in Shawshank Redemption, he could see himself  outside the prison in New Mexico, but he was restricted by the greed and abuse of human rights. So he chose to break out and reach his goal, even if it was giving the institution a r eason to finally keep him there. Now readers the task is upon you to judge from what you have read here, go read Raw and go watch Shawshank Redemption, I have only expressed to you my opinion of these two excellent texts and their analysation of different institutions and their effects. It is now your turn to experience the self-discovery of how you lead your life and how the institutions around you lead their occupants lives. It is also an incredulous opportunity that todays HSC students are able to study this subject more thoroughly. It is because of this elective in year 12 English classes that the young adults of tomorrow can see where their futures may be heading and know now that there is always time for reform and change in their habits. Studying such socially active topics at school will prove useful in their future lives, as it will help them understand how they should deal with problems they face from institutions that they may come across in their life. Might I also add to keep a watch on Richard Neville, he has some intriguing predictions about the future on his website: http://www.richardneville.com.au

Behaviour Therapy for Child Sleep Disorder

Behaviour Therapy for Child Sleep Disorder Aims: Outlines the nature of behavioural aspects of children’s sleep and how these might be addressed by behaviour therapy. Clinical considerations concerned with the use of behavioural therapy are also highlighted. Consider behavioural aspects (ie, learned behaviours) and their relevance for our understanding of children’s sleep patterns and management of their sleep disorders. Increase awareness of how behavioural factors may play a role in the development and treatment of wide-ranging paediatric sleep disorders and to discuss clinical considerations relevant to management planning and decisions about whether to refer a child for specialist behavioural therapy. Classification: International Classification of Sleep Disorders of ‘‘behavioural insomnia of childhood’’:Â  (present with difficulty settling to sleep, nightwaking and/or early waking difficulties) Overall prevalence rates of 30% ‘‘inappropriate sleep onset associations’’ (ie, where the child has not learnt to fall asleep without a set of problematic or demanding conditions such as parents’ being present), ‘ ‘limit-setting sleep disorder’’ (ie where the care giver demonstrates insufficient or inappropriate limit-setting to establish appropriate sleep behaviour in the child) ‘‘combined’’subtype where these two problems co-exist. 25–50% of 6–12-month olds have difficulty settling to sleep or waking in the night do not decrease with age: by age 3 years, 25–30% have sleeplessness problems With similar percentages reported for the 3–5-year age group, 43% of 8–10-year olds 23% of 10– 17-year olds. These problems are not transient; an epidemiological study of a cohort of 5-year olds suggested that sleeping problems at age 5 years were significantly associated with sleeping difficulties at age 6 months (or before) and that children with sleep problems at age 5 years were more likely to have sleeping problems at 10 years. Over 80 sleep disorders listed in the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, which are divided into six main categories: insomnia, sleep-related breathing disorders, hypersomnia of central origin, circadian rhythm disorders (ex. Delayed sleep phase syndrome) parasomnias (ex. Sleep terrors, nightmares) Helped by beh therapy. sleep-related movement disorder (ex. nocturnal headbanging) (in preliminary reports) Behavioural Interventions: Classical conditioning is a form of associative learning whereby a neutral stimulus is paired with a naturally occurring stimulus, which evokes the desired behavioural response until, after multiple pairings, the neutral stimulus alone is sufficient to elicit the desired behaviour; thus behaviours are conditioned to be elicited by antecedent conditions. Operant conditioning involves the use of consequences to modify the occurrence and form of behaviour. The particular intervention strategy used will vary depending on family and child factors and the nature of the sleep disturbance one hopes to address. General Principles: (The more consistently these principles are applied, the easier it will be for the child to learn) Behaviour can be encouraged by linking it with an antecedent stimulus, which serves to trigger the desired behaviour. Reinforcement- Behaviour is likely to recur if the consequences of the behaviour were reinforcing for the child. (Can be pos or neg) Extinction, or removing reinforcement (eg, drinks, parental presence, attention) maintaining the undesired behaviour (eg, crying, refusal to settle to sleep without the above) can be achieved gradually or abruptly. Shaping- A new behaviour can be encouraged by rewarding a series of responses that more and more closely resemble the desired behaviour. Punishment- Behaviour is less likely to occur if followed by a punishing consequence. (Can be pos or neg) Rewards Success On the basis of controlled empirical data, behavioural approaches are viewed as the first-line treatment of choice for this type of sleep disorder, because they have none of the potential associated negative side effects of sedative hypnotics,20 and a systematic review suggests that, long term, they are more effective. The relative efficacy of specific behavioural strategies or components of behaviour therapy has been less well investigated so details of any behavioural plan should be explored in the context of collaborative therapy, considering the practical and emotional resources of individual families. The developmental stage of the child is also an important consideration—for example, some strategies require the child to have verbal abilities of a particular level, and reinforcement programmes are likely to be particularly important for older children. To note It should, of course, be noted that the effective use of behaviour therapy does not necessarily indicate that the sleep disturbance is behavioural in origin or being maintained by behavioural factors. Behaviour therapy may play a role in the management of disorders that are of definite organic origin. (ex. behavioural therapy including planned naps, appropriate sleep routines and well-defined 24 h schedules may have a role in management of narcolepsy, a hypersomnia of central origin, or facilitate compliance with continuous positive airways pressure therapy for children who require this form of intervention for sleep-disordered breathing). Behavioural therapy has been used successfully with a number of special populations who are at increased risk of severe and long-standing sleep disorders for a range of biological and psychological reasons. That this form of intervention does not rely on the use of verbal skills makes it especially appropriate for use with children with intellectual disabilities. Delivering behavioural therapy in a brief, booklet form (with obvious economic implications) has been found to be as successful as behaviour therapy delivered face-to face in managing the sleeplessness problems of infants with intellectual disabilities. Further considerations There is a need for development of behavioural models specific to different types of sleep disturbance, and for children of various ages, to further understanding about the development and maintenance of sleep disturbance and to suggest therapeutic strategies for evaluation. Consideration for clinicians is that multiple sleep disorders may coexist, and so behaviourally based sleep disorders may be present in children with other sleep disorders of more physiological origin or arise as a secondary problem. It may be necessary to use multiple forms of treatment to address individual sleep disorders. It may also be appropriate to combine treatments in the management of one sleep disorder. (ex. Beh interventions melatonin) Although behaviour therapy delivered in conventional face to-face format may have apparent drawbacks in terms of the time and cost of implementing the interventions, the potential to prevent long-standing sleeping difficulties and their associated problems (which, as outlined above, may include adultmental health problems) is likely to far outweigh the limitations in both economic and social terms, at both the societal and personal level. Ensuring that families can access appropriate support and advice should be a service priority, and investigation of how to improve access (eg, with brief forms of treatment, low-cost delivery methods, identifying active therapeutic components and their efficacy for particular groups of children and different sleep disorders) should be key research targets for the future.

Causes of Childcare Policies, Initiatives and Laws

Causes of Childcare Policies, Initiatives and Laws 1. Introduction Childhood, the ten memorable years that fall between infancy and the onset of adolescence probably constitutes the most exciting period of a normal human life. Most men and women have the fondest memories of their childhood years, replete with a million discoveries, of new smells, sights, sounds, touches, and other delightful experiences, of times of safety, comfort, and security. While this is possibly true of most children, in rich and poor societies alike, for many others the world is different; it is unfriendly, hostile, unwelcoming and extremely difficult. The worst affected are those who grow up in poverty and deprivation, or in environments of parental conflict, substance abuse, homelessness, and domestic violence. Very distressingly, childhood problems exist not only in underdeveloped and chronically poor societies, but also in ample measure in richer and advanced countries, like the UK, the USA, and other West European nations. Childhood is a time of phenomenal growth, in all areas of human development, physical, social, emotional, and intellectual. Growth and development of children involves the meeting of many diverse needs, in areas like nutrition, accommodation, regulated activity, health and medical care, cleanliness, hygiene, and sanitation, as well as in areas that involve emotional, social and intellectual growth. Thousands of children in the UK grow up in environments and surroundings that are inadequate, in greater or lesser degree, for proper development; inadequacies that are caused by factors like broken homes, divorced parents, single parenting, poverty, deprivation, domestic violence, substance abuse and child abuse. British society has always been concerned about the proper upbringing of its children and its role in the building of national character. The centuries old saying about the battle of Waterloo being won on the playing fields of Eton is a reminder of the preoccupation of the British with proper upbringing of their young. Recent years have seen increasing concern about improving conditions for the development of children, and have led to a number of governmental initiatives that aim to change the scope and ambit of public services committed to helping and improving this area. This essay aims to examine the origin and status of these initiatives, as well as their likely impact, both positive and negative in meeting the developmental needs of children. 2. Commentary Recent times have been ones of intense social change. The period that commenced after the closing of the Second World War has seen widespread social restructuring, caused by a multitude of factors like the splintering of families, the practice of children moving out of parental homes at relatively early ages, increasing divorce rates, sharp boosts in the numbers of working women, the greater incidence of single parenting, and the absence of grandparents in normal family life. These various reasons have quite often led to parents being inadequately informed, or even otherwise, being unable to satisfy the developmental needs of children. While inadequacies like these are common in normal families, they become far more complicated and result in great inequities upon children in environments involving poverty, deprivation, homelessness, substance abuse, domestic violence and child abuse. Increased immigration and the quiet and gradual formation of a multicultural, multiethnic, and multir eligious society have also led to the development of a number of social segments with different levels of affluence, education and ability. All these factors contribute to the challenges faced by society and government in providing all children with a level playing field and in satisfying their developmental needs. The British social structure has possessed, for many years, public infrastructure responsible for providing financial, physical, medical and scholastic support to children, more so for children from disturbed and difficult backgrounds, living in their natural domestic backgrounds, as well as in places like foster homes and institutions. Various governmental agencies like the department of health, the NHS, and local authorities, work with the help of paid and voluntary social workers to ensure assessment of needs and appropriate action. While the level and efficacy of the support provided to children had always been a source of concern in the past for most citizens, disturbed by occasional media reports of the unsatisfactory state of affairs, matters came to a head with the occurrence of two deaths, 13 year old Aliyah Ismail, in 1989, and 8 year old Victoria Climbie in 2000. Both Aliyah and Victoria, children of immigrants met horrific deaths, despite the full knowledge and involvemen t of social workers in their cases. Aliyah, in and out of several foster homes and institutions, died of a methadone overdose in a decrepit building in Camden Town, whereas Victoria Climbie died after receiving severe physical injuries from her aunt, who was then her carer, and her male companion. At the time of death, her body bore marks of more than 120 separate injuries. The resultant media uproar and several inquiries, commissioned by local bodies and the government, and conducted by eminent and qualified experts, laid the blame for the episodes upon the inadequate working of the social care infrastructure. Aliyah moved more than 60 times, between relatives, homes, and institutions, in the few years she was in care. (Brindle, 1999) The Blackburn report, commissioned by the Harrow local council, focussed on her distressing life, under the country’s programme for children in care, and largely indicted the functioning of the social care system. Victoria Climbie’s death caused even greater anguish and led to a number of investigations by Lord Laming at the specific instance of the government. The investigations and the ensuing report, which laid bare the functioning of the agencies involved in Victoria’s care, revealed that social workers were fully aware of Victoria’s condition and ignored twelve separate occasions to give h er protection and relief, led to widespread anguish, a national resolve to take better care of the country’s young, and finally to a number of initiatives aimed to ensure better care and development of children living in the UK. The key message running through the report is that individual failings, poor standards and ineffective systems are the consequence of a failure in leadership. Senior managers in all agencies, and elected members, are responsible, and thus accountable for this failure. Lord Laming refers to the principle failure to protect Victoria was as a result of widespread organisational malaise. (The Victoria Climbie Enquiry, 2003) While Lord Laming’s report catalysed governmental and public action in the last three years, the issue of addressing children’s needs adequately had first engaged lawmakers nearly twenty years back, when deliberations on the issue led to the enactment of The Children Act, 1989. The legislation, which came into effect in 1993 aimed to radically change the existing approach to meet the needs of children by (a) making children’s welfare a priority, (b) recognising that children grow up best in their families, whenever possible, (c) ensuring the duty of local authorities to provide services for children and families in need, (d) promoting partnership between children, parents, and local authorities, improving the way courts deal with children, and (e) protecting the rights of children. (Children Act 1989) Various child support initiatives owe their origins to the 1989 legislation. A further flurry of activity occurred after the publication of the Kennedy Report in 1989, and the Laming Report in 2003, on the deficiencies that existed in areas of health, education, and social support for all children, especially for those who live in difficult circumstances, either in their domestic environments, or with others. The publication of these reports, discussions in the media and various public forums, and governmental initiatives led to the preparation and publication of the Green Paper â€Å"Every Child Matters† in 2003, which outlined a new approach to the well being of children from birth to 19 and aimed to achieve 5 desired outcomes, namely (a) be healthy, (b) stay safe, (c) enjoy and achieve, (d) make a positive contribution and (e) achieve economic well being. (Every child matters: change for children, 2007) The enactment of The Children Act 2004 and initiatives in various areas aim to transform children’s services by increasing opportunities and reducing risk, as far as possible. The department of health, the department of education, the NHS, and local authorities will work in tandem to achieve this objective. All local authorities now need to work with partners, especially schools, and the NHS, to locate the needs of children and take appropriate action. A number of successive documents detail the approach required by these authorities. Three important initiatives expected to play important roles in the furtherance of child welfare objectives are the Children and Young People’s Plan (CYP), the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and the National Services Framework (NSF) The NSF for children, published in September 2004, the first such effort in he world, determines standards for children’s health and social services for children, young people and pregnant women, as well as the coordination of these services with education. It is a key delivery mechanism of the â€Å"be healthy† outcome of the â€Å"Every Child Matters† programme and aims to bring about a fundamental change in these services by attempting ensure that their design and delivery focus on the ascertained needs of children and their families. The programme, scheduled to run for ten years, expects to achieve targeted standards for ensuring fair, high quality and integrated health and social care from pregnancy, right through to adulthood. (National Service Framework Documents, 2006) The standards are divided into three parts, part one focussing on services for children and young people, part two dealing with particular groups of children, and part three with maternity services. While full implementation could take upto ten years for implementation, the framework plans to increasingly assess the NHS and local authorities on the quality of their services and the progress achieved in meeting the standards. (National Service Framework Documents, 2006) Criticism of the National Service Framework has ranged from the use of exhaustive recording for surveillance purposes, to issues like over insitutionalisation and consequent dilution of medical care, and the impracticality of cooperative working on such large scales. The conceptualisation and implementation of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF is one of the distinguishing elements of the overarching â€Å"Every Child Matters† initiative. Truly ambitious in its scope, the CAF aims to enable all people working with children, young people and their families, to evaluate distinct needs of different children and families. Once the CAF is fully in use, children’s centres or schools will arrange for most assessments, and will thereby help in identifying children with additional needs before they become serious concerns. Situations that could possibly need the use of CAF include poor nutrition or ill health, substance misuse, anxiety or depression, problematic housing, poor attendance or exclusion from school, overt parental conflict, lack of parental support, disruptive or anti social behaviour, and involvement, or the risk of involvement, in offences. The CAF will obviously not be suitable for the majority of children who make normal p rogress through the universally available services. However, it could really help in identifying the needs of many troubled children at stages where corrective action and appropriate support could change future outcomes very positively. (Common Assessment Framework, 2007) The Children and Young People programme aims to reduce underachievement and improve life chances of children through a set of measures that include taking measures for extended schools, extended early years, looked after children and vulnerable young adults, youth, child protection and children with special needs and disabilities. The programme plans to further educational development and improve health, well being and social inclusion through integrated delivery of support and services. The extended schools concept forms the core of the CYP package by providing activities that essentially look after children for greater hours and effectively reduce the load on parents. Extended Schools will provide activities based on their particular circumstances and needs, but taken from a ‘menu’ which will include breakfast clubs, after-school study support and after-school youth, sport and leisure activities; programmes for parents and community use of schools. The focus will be on supporting learning, creativity and healthy lifestyles, including tackling obesity in children. (Children and Young People Funding Package, 2006) The chief criticisms of the CYP programme focus on the excessive local planning and decision-making, as well as political initiatives that revolve around doing things to young people rather than giving them, and when they are too young, their parents â€Å"the freedom, responsibility and tools to do things for themselves.† (Warpole, 2004) The importance of engaging young people more effectively to participate in all activities is thought to be important by many researchers. 3. Conclusion The UK is going through an epochal change in the development of its young. The planned changes, if successfully implemented, could well result in the creation of a much more competent, tolerant and well adjusted society. The enactment of the Children Bill of 2004, and the slew of initiatives, which apart from the discussed issues, also include the formation of Children’s Trusts, and the Sure Start programme, aim to take the benefits of health, housing, education, social and emotional support, to every child in the nation. Delivered through cooperative inter agency working and focussed on the needs of children and their families, the initiatives include precautionary measures to locate children with problematic needs that need to be addressed early enough in life. While the advantages of the initiatives are enormous, and painstakingly designed to help millions of children, the aim of delivering all these services, through state and local agencies, raises concerns that could wel l turn out to be important. State agencies are notorious for evolving into bureaucratic, system driven, and uncaring, irrespective institutions, of country, society or work ethic of the people. The UK has had its own unhappy experiences with state controlled corporations, as well as with the NHS. The idea of the state, albeit with a certain extent of private participation, taking over a major portion of the responsibility of bringing up children could be fraught with dangers that may arise out of improper and inadequate implementation. It needs remembering that the Aliyah Ismail and Victoria Climbie incidents happened not because of the absence of state support, but despite it. Excessive state control also leads to unnecessary documentation, possibilities of surveillance, and the need for a control and audit mechanism, all of which work against the main objectives of programmes under implementation. Now that the programmes are under way, the challenge will come in their implementation, and in ensuring that they meet their objectives. Bibliography Brindle, D, 1999, Drug death girl shuttled among carers, the Guardian, Retrieved April 30, 2007 from www.guardian.co.uk/drugs/Story/0,,201042,00.html Children Act, 1989, Retrieved April 30, 2007 from www.yjb.gov.uk/en-gb/practitioners/Accommodation/LegislationandResponsibilities/ChildrenAct1989/ Children in Care: now and then, 2000, BBC News, Retrieved April 30, 2007 from news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/642288.stm Child Development Chart book, 2004, The Commonwealth Fund, retrieved April 30, 2007 from www.cmwf.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=237483 Children are unbeatable: alliance, 2007, Retrieved April 30, 2007 from www.childrenareunbeatable.org.uk/pdfs/actionsheetedm606jan07.pdf Children and young people funding package, 2006, Department of education, Retrieved April 30, 2007 from www.deni.gov.uk/index/21-pupils_parents-pg/children-and-young-people-funding-package.htm Common assessment Framework, 2007, Every child matters, Retrieved April 30, 2007 from www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/deliveringservices/caf/ Christensen, P. OBrien, M. (Eds.)., 2002, Children in the City: Home, Neighborhood, and Community. London: Routledge. Every child matters: Change for children, 2007, National literacy trust, retrieved April 30, 2007 from www.literacytrust.org.uk/socialinclusion/youngpeople/greenpaper.html Hallett, C. Prout, A. (Eds.). (2003). Hearing the Voices of Children: Social Policy for a New Century. New York: Routledge. Hocutt, A. M., Mckinney, J. D., Montague, M., 2002, The Impact of Managed Care on Efforts to Prevent Development of Serious Emotional Disburbance in Young Children. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 13(1), 51+. Jacobs, J. E. Klaczynski, P. A. (Eds.)., 2005, The Development of Judgment and Decision Making in Children and Adolescents. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. National Service Framework for children, young people and maternity services, 2007, Department for health, Retrieved April 30, 2007 from www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGEsiteId=enssTargetNodeId=566ssDoc Reeves, R., 2003, The Battle for Childhood: We All Love Children; Even Politicians Do. Yet We Are in Danger of Taking from Them Everything That Is Most Precious Freedom, Health and Happiness. New Statesman, 132, 18+. The Victoria Climbie Enquiry, 2003, Retrieved April 30, 2007 from www.victoria-climbie-inquiry.org.uk Warpole, K, 2005, play, participation and potential, groundwork, Retrieved April 30, 2007 from www.groundwork.org.uk/upload/publications/publication11.pdf

Personal Diet and Weight Loss Management Analysis Essays -- losing wei

Personal Diet and Weight Loss Management Analysis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Each morning I get on the scales and hope that I can celebrate losing a pound or two. The numbers I see on the scale represent a gauge that keeps me moving forward in a weight loss program. When I look at the numbers on the scale I realize I am making progress in losing weight, however, am I putting my body at more risk just by limiting certain foods? Comparing and contrasting my typical diet to the amounts of daily nutrients recommended in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Guide Pyramid has proven that I am not a healthy eater. I may have to make some dramatic changes or face significant health issues in the future. After reviewing several plans, I have chosen the South Beach Diet to follow to take advantage of the healthy benefits of following a low-carbohydrate diet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The analysis of my dietary intake for two days is demonstrated on the chart below with the USDA guidelines for my age, gender and lifestyle group, a sedentary female over 50, as a comparison to the food groups and nutrients consumed (Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005):   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Figure 1: Personal Diet as compared to Recommended Nutrition Intake   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nutrient  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Recommended  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Day 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Day 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Findings Energy Intake  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1600 calories  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1770  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1541  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Need to stabilize Grain Group  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  6 servings  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Need to stabilize Vegetable Group  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3 servings  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Need to stabilize Fruit Group  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Need to increase Meat Group (ounces)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.25  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Need to increase Protein Grams  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  72.8  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  90  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  58  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Need to stabilize Fat Grams  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  53  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  93  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  62  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Need to reduce Carb Grams  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  217  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  232  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  180  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Need to stabilize Fiber Grams  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  20-50  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  15  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  14  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Need to increase Water (ounces)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  64  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  48  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  32  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Need to increase Sodium mg  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1423  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1820  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  940  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Need to stabilize Iron as % of RDA  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  14  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Need to increase   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nutrient  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Recommended  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Day 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Day 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Findings Cholesterol mgs  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  184  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  331  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  75  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Need to stabilize Calcium as % of RDA  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1000-2000mg = 100%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  28%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  25%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Need to increase   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The comparison of my two-day nutrition intake to recommendations demonstrates that I do not consistently consume a healthy diet. I do not follow the recommendations in the Food ... ...  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Turkey Roll up (2 slices Turkey breast in Lettuce leaves)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  54  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  604  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  17  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1 Cilantro Mayonaise (1tbsp)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  36  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  104  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0 Water  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lunch  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Crab Cobb Salad  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  267  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  27  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  12  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  13  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1012  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  95  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4 Water  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mid Afternoon Snack  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Celery stuffed with one wedge Laughing Cow Light Cheese  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  47.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.85  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  296  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0 Water  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dinner  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chicken en Papillote  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  144  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  27  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  86  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  65  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1 Roasted Eggplant and Peppers  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  193  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  16  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  14  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5 Lemon Zest Ricotta Cream  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  178  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  14  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  155  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  38  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0 Red Wine (3.5 oz)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  75  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0 Water  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Daily Totals  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1280  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  105.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  64.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  61  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  20  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2965  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  659  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  14

Pursuing a Degree in Criminal Justice Essay -- Criminal Justice

Today our world is filled with crime. The people committing these crimes must have a consequence for their illegal actions. The system in place to keeping everything fair and safe is called the criminal justice system. This was put in place to ensure there is fairness and justice served to people who break the laws set up by the government. Criminal justice is one of the most important majors one can study due to the necessity to keep the streets safe and clean. From street cops, to state troopers all the way to criminal psychologists the criminal justice system is a very important part of modern society as it keeps us safe from murders, rapists and various other criminals. The street cops are the ones that are out on our streets protecting every citizen. It can be as simple as writing a parking ticket on a car that is illegally parked, to arresting murderers and rapist in a quiet neighborhood in the suburbs. The cops are the ones that are keeping our streets more safe for families everywhere. The main thing I want to learn about Criminal Justice is where I can go with my degree. By studying criminal justice I would like to be able to pursue my dreams of becoming a Drug enforcement agent so that I can help make neighborhoods safe and take bad people off the public streets. The mission of Franklin Pierce Universities Criminal Justice Program is to produce graduates who have demonstrated competency in administration of justice, corrections, criminological theory, and law enforcement the program provides students with essential knowledge in the areas of policing, courts and corrections within a solid liberal arts framework. Special attention is given to career roles, social interaction and social forces that contribute to so... ...eb. 30 Mar. 2010. . 2."Criminal Justice Careers /Jobs Information." Direct Degree | Associate, Bachelor and Online Degree Programs. Web. 30 Mar. 2010. . 3."Criminal Justice System - Structural And Theoretical Components Of Criminal Justice Systems, The Systems In Operation, The Importance Of Viewing Criminal Justice As A System." Law Library - American Law and Legal Information. Web. 30 Mar. 2010. . 4."Criminal Justice System Processing Flowchart." Research Brought To Life : Florida State University College of Criminology & Criminal Justice. Web. 30 Mar. 2010. . 5. "Franklin Pierce University Academic Catalog 2009-2010

One Step to Freedom?

â€Å"100% of the shots you never take, never get in†. In the middle of the arid desert, Colorado. A group of Cypriots and myself among them, crossed through the desert to reach the camping site where we would spend the night. Continuously attacking us, the blazing sun followed our every footstep, as our bodies were melting down like defenceless ice cubes. After a couple of hundreds of metres of walk, my feet started to numb. I was exhausted. My bottle, constantly in my hand, was running out of water. â€Å"Can my day get worse?†, I wondered. What I didn't know was, that these obstacles were nothing compared to the inner conflict I would be going through soon. â€Å"Does anyone want to have a break? Does anyone want to have a swim?†, Michael, our leader asked. Suddenly the feelings of joy and excitement replaced the tiredness and everyone was now smiling; I noticed I was smiling too. Impatiently we all followed Michael. That is when I first came face to face with my own Via Dolorosa. The worst of all is that I was not aware of how difficult it would be for me, that small step I was asked to take, for which I had to grapple hard with my own thoughts and deepest fears which I was not even aware of. How can you fight something you cannot see? Following the flow of my friends and climbing on a small hill, I reached the beginning of my slow and painful torture. I was standing at the edge of a rocky knoll, about three metres above the ground and beneath me, a tiny lake with crystal clear water. I could already picture myself, in the lake, with the cool water fighting off the heat, while my body was enjoying the luxuries of nature. As I lowered my head to face my reflection on the calm surface of the lake, the truth hit me in the face. I will never forget how shocked I was when I realised I was not ready; I couldn't jump; I didn't want to. â€Å"Nicola, are you going to jump or not?†, Shane asked me. The question brought me to my senses like . . . . . . . â€Å"No. Go on. I will go later.†, I replied. While watching them jumping with such comfort, as if it was fun, as if they were enjoying themselves, I felt angry with myself. Why had I stopped? It couldn't be that difficult, after all nobody else seemed to find it challenging, on the contrary they all thought of it as amusing. If they could do it, so could I. All of a sudden I changed my mind. I felt this urge, this push, the desire to jump as well. â€Å"I can do this†, I told myself. Once again I found myself standing at the edge of the hill determined to jump and once again I changed my mind, as my fears came to life; my body froze instantly. It was as if my legs were glued into place, I couldn't move. Out of the blue, the battle started; the battle over which I had no control, the battle which was going on in my head and whose winner would determine my decision. On one side my limiting beliefs and fears joined forces, to stop me from jumping while on the other side my desire to jump was defensively trying to repulse the attack. The damage to the defence lines was unavoidable and since my fears took control over my body, I stepped back instead of going forward. Time was going by so quickly, as I tended to oscillate between the determination of jumping and the fear of falling. Over twenty minutes had passed since my last attempt and I was not looking forward to another one. â€Å"Nicola we will be leaving soon, if you are going to jump, do it now, or else come down so that we can continue.† No! , a voice inside my head screamed. I am not giving up. I am not leaving unless I jump. As these wild thoughts were passing through my head, the sun sank lower. Trying to convince myself that I could do it, I once more stepped at the doorstep of fear. â€Å"You have thirty seconds to jump.† I took a deep breath. â€Å"Come on Nicolas!†, a friend of mine shouted. â€Å"It's only one step!† â€Å"Twenty-nine, twenty-eight . . .† Puzzled as I were, I looked around as if searching for an answer. Suddenly I realised that everyone was staring at me. Was it really only one step? Then what? Freedom? â€Å"Sixteen, fifteen . . .† The countdown continued. â€Å"Hey Nicola, listen to me! Stop thinking so hard. Just jump! It's only one step.† It was of no use. I didn't hear a thing. â€Å"Nine, eight, seven . . .† I looked down at the lake. How could falling equate to freedom? There were fluctuations in my feelings. I couldn't decide. I couldn't even take a small step. â€Å"Three, two, one. Come on Nicolas we are leaving! Come down!† I took a glance at the azure sky as if it was my last one. I took a last deep breath. â€Å"I am coming†, the words burst like bullets out of my mouth. I closed my eyes. I could hear the blood booming in my ears. The cold breeze made me shiver. I found myself trembling like an undersized flower in a furious storm of hesitant feelings and fears. I slowly bent my knees and jumped. Time stopped. My life was passing through my mind like an old black and white movie. I panicked. I didn't want to fall. I regretted jumping. I waved my hands desperately, trying to hold onto something. A rock, a stone anything. Nothing; there was nothing. I wanted to throw up. It was as if air was pushing my stomach up in my chest and out of my mouth. Even today, when I recall the situation and when I picture the whole scene in my mind, the same feelings come up; fear, anxiety, fluctuation, regret. The same feelings which filled me up then, which still do, as if I am there. As if I never left. As if I never jumped. As if it was all for nothing. Although I am not free from my fears, I know it was not for nothing. I took the risk, I took the shot and I ‘m proud of myself. The cheers and the congratulations I received as I came out of the lake, almost made up for the torture I went through. I was still feeling a bit dizzy from the fall so I sat to rest. That is when Michael came and told me: â€Å"100% of the shots you never take, never get in†. Now this quote is one of my favourites. It was actually a quote of Michael Jordan's referring to basketball. When I first heard it, I didn't really understand what it meant, but after thinking about it, I became aware of its true meaning. It means that if someone does not dare to shoot the ball, because it may not go in the basket, he will never score. â€Å"It's risky not taking risks† a wise man said. In the middle of the arid desert, Colorado, I took the risk. I jumped. I may have not been freed from my fears but I learned my lesson. This experience shaped me into who I am today. A man who is not afraid of taking risks, and making steps beyond the limits of fears and limiting beliefs.

Coraline Essay

Neil Gaiman’s children’s novel Coraline begins when Coraline, a young girl, and her parents moving into a second-floor flat in an old house. She then enters a parallel universe in which she begins her journey quest. As well as in Harry Potter, Coraline follows the classic pattern of a quest story, with plenty of interesting and imaginative twists on the genre. The hero with a thousand faces presents the idea of a hero’s journey, also called as the monomyth. Written in 1949 by Joseph Campbell, the book uses worldwide examples in order to highlight the similarities found in every heros journey, which can be seen in Coraline. ne can see how in Coraline also passes threw different hero phases such as the call to adventure, refusual of the call and the crossing of the first threshold, just to name a few. To start with, one of the first things of the monomyth found in â€Å"Coraline† is the call to adventure. For example, coraline is faced with the situation of her parents being kidnapped by the â€Å"other mother†. The words â€Å"help me† (pg. 53) from her trapped parents was the call and the beginning to her hero’s journey. To continue, in her departure, she also had the supernatural aid of the small stone with a hole. The stone came with advice from Miss Spink, she said â€Å"and be very, very careful, and don’t wear green in your dressing room (pg. 20, 21), so, Coraline took the stone and she wandered what does miss Spink mean by â€Å"danger†. Once the hero has committed to the quest the magical helper appears, or becomes known. There are many characters in the Coraline story that help aid her to success in defeating the other mother but no one in the book played a larger role than The Cat. The Cat was a mystery all on his own. One must recall that se cat is often a symbol for wisdom, mystery and helper. The Cat was not a friend or foe in the story. The cat was there to help Coraline along through the Other World and remind her that she is from the real world (just likethe egiptians used to believed). At the climax of the story, Coraline used the cat by throwing him at the Other Mother to escape the Other World. The hero returns with the token. The token is a reminder of the hero’s quest. The token proves that the story was not a dream. In the book Coraline, the token is the Stone with a hole in it. The Stone was given to Coraline from Ms. Spink. Ms Spink lived with Ms. Forcible in the flat under Coraline’s house. When Coraline receives the stone she asked â€Å"What is it for? † Miss Forcible responds â€Å"It might help†¦There are good for bad things, sometimes. †(24) The Stone with the hole in it help Coraline locate the ghost children and the souls of her parents. At the end of the journey when she rescues her parents, leaves the Other World and saves the real world from the Other Mother, Coraline return the stone with the hole in it to Ms. Forcible. Coraline says â€Å"Here you go, †¦I don’t need it anymore. I’m very grateful. I think it may have saved my life and some other people’s deaths. †(193) Letting Coraline and the readers know that the story was more than just not a figment of Coralines imagination. Coraline has to overcome the road of trail before she can continue on her hero’s journey. For example, she offers the â€Å"button eyed† mother a challenge, â€Å"an exploring game, a finding things game† (92). The gamble was her love in exchange for her real parents and the three lost souls of the children. The other mother agrees on the game. However, the â€Å"beldam† does not play fair. For instance, she conjured up a sand storm ,dog-bats, jelly-like creatures and of course a dough faced, â€Å"grublike†(111) thing with button eyes that whispered â€Å"coralline†. All the evil things try to stop Coraline in her quest. Overall, one can agree that the hero’s quest is evident in coraline. Its a incredible twist how Neil Gaiman creats this hero, making it appeal mor realistic and down to earth than other heroes. Coraline is not special. She’s an ordinary kid with ordinary parents living in an ordinary home. She’s not gifted at solving mysteries or riding horses or playing with dolphins. She doesn’t have any outstanding personality traits, like shyness, insecurity or extraordinary kindness. She’s just a kid who happens to be female, whose curiosity leads her to an adventure, the consequences of which demand heroics from her. She makes mistakes, and she also has flashes of brilliance, as people generally do.

Steel Structure

Most structural steel failures happen at connections†¦. where a beam connects to a column, where a joist connects to a beam, where a hanging rod connects to a beam (the Kansas City Hyatt discussed above). The Structural Engineer must design the design the steel members and give guidelines for the connections. Many people in the Construction Industry don't understand, though, that the Structural Engineer rarely designs the connections. Why is that?Historically, the Steel Fabricators developed many different ways to make connections. What one Fabricator did in his shop economically might have been quite an expensive way to do it in a competitor's Fabrication Shop. So the practice developed that the Structural Engineer would size the members, but the Steel Fabricators would design the connections, which the Structural Engineer should then review and approve. If you think that seems like a complicated system prone to error, you'd be correct.But that is the system we generally have i n American construction. So the Construction Supervisor should know something about steel connections and have an idea if they are being installed correctly. A bit of background in Basic Structural Design is helpful, but the main thing to understand is the concept of pin connections versus fixed connections. A beam bolted to a column with clip angles along the beam web likely creates a pin connection.This means that the beam shouldn't be able to move up or down, nor in or out, but it can rotate a bit. A steel column bolted to a concrete pier with four anchor bolts also typically creates a pin connection. Again the steel column won't go up, down or sideways, but it may be able to rotate a bit. The fixed connection must stop that ability to rotate. So for a beam to have a fixed connection to a column, along with clip angles, there may be a plate on the top and bottom flanges of the beam that gets welded to the column.With all that welding, the beam can no longer rotate. If a steel col umn is buried four feet deep in a concrete pier, it also would not be rotating at the point that it exits from the concrete. So those are a couple of ways to create fixed (or moment resisting) connections. The Construction Supervisor should be aware if any fixed (or moment resisting) connections are required and understand how they are to be made. Just asking the questions increases the likelihood of a successful project.

Evolution of the Genus Homo

Evolution of the genus Homo. Charles Darwin was the first to formulate a scientific argument for the theory of evolution by Natural Selection. The idea of natural selection is basically â€Å"the survival of the fittest. † Evolution is any change in characteristics in biological populations. It gives diversity to life on all known biological organizations such as molecules, organs, organisms, etc. Life is said to be originated from a universal common ancestor, which tells us that all life is related to each other.Life started from simple celled organisms known as prokaryotes, which evolved into eukaryotes after photosynthesizing bacteria evolved forcing oxygen concentration to rise in the atmospheric. This event known as the Great Oxidation Event acted as poison on many bacteria that use carbon dioxide as an energy source. After the evolution of eukaryotes, sexual reproduction appeared and increased the evolution rate tremendously. Complex multi-cellular organisms started to a ppear soon after, first in oceans and then on land.Over time, life diversified into millions of organisms. The genus Homo first evolved around 2. 5 Ma from Australopithecine genus (now extinct). The first homo species believed to evolve were called Homo Habilis. They lived side by side with another homo species called Homo erectus until at least 1. 44 Ma. H. Habilis were also the first species to make tools out of stone. H. Erectus resembled modern humans and colonized in Africa. They had a brain size 74% that of modern humans and had ways of making better tools and also hunted bigger animals.Another species, Homo Antecessors were common ancestors of humans and H. Neanderthals. Modern humans shared 99% of their DNA with Neanderthals and Neanderthals also had a similar gene linked to speech. Another species, Homo Heidelbergensis may be an ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans. Finally, modern humans or Homo Sapiens are said to first appeared around 200 Ka around Oma river, Ethio pia. There are two famous models that explain where the modern day humans originated from. Both models are supported by evidence and therefore are accept by different scientists.The Replacement model says that modern humans originated in Africa and replaced all other archaic humans beginning 60,000 years ago. The regional continuity model argues that all modern human evolved more or less simultaneously in all major parts of old world from local archaic humans. It is believed that environmental variables, along with natural adaption, such as pathogens, diet, survival needs, climate, etc. caused the different phenotypic diversity among human populations thus complicating the puzzle of modern human evolution.

Alzheimer disease Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Alzheimer disease - Research Paper Example Some symptoms include decline in memory and cognitive abilities of the affected individual. This paper will discuss the causes of Alzheimer, its prevalence, the risk factors, signs and symptoms of the disease. The paper will also look at the prevention and treatment options available to the affected people. Alzheimer’s disease Introduction Ballenger (2006) asserts that Alzheimer is the most common form of dementia that leads to memory loss and cognitive decline. Alzheimer is a neurological disorder associated with degeneration of brain cells among individuals aged 65 years and above. The gradual loss of brain cells results from tangles in nerve cells and beta-amyloid plaques that develop in the brain. Some risk factors that contribute to the disease include having a history of high blood pressure, trauma and stress. Ballenger (2006) asserts that â€Å"some symptoms of the disease as memory loss, impaired thinking, changes in personality and disorientation thus ultimately cont ributes to decline in cognitive functioning and damage of brain cells in the cerebral cortex, p 89. Medical scientists assert that Alzheimer is caused by a combination of lifestyle, genetic and environmental factors that impair the brain over time. However, less than 5 percent of the cases result from genetic changes. In the US, more than 5 million people aged 65 years and above are believed to be living with the disease. According to the 2013 statistical report of Alzheimer’s Association, one-tenth of the citizens aged 65 years and above suffer from the disease while one-third of the citizens aged 85 years and above are living with the disease. According to the Association, the disease accounts for over 60 percent of all cases of dementia (Morgan & Carrasquillo, 2013). Alzheimer disease statistics It is estimated than 5 million Americans of all ages are suffering from the disease with an approximately 200,000 under the age of 65 suffering from the disease. One-tenth of peopl e aged 65 years and above is suffering from the disease while one-third of the people aged more than 85 years old have Alzheimer’s disease (Morgan & Carrasquillo, 2013). The prevalence of the disease among women is high than in men since two-thirds of the individuals suffering from the disease are women (Morgan & Carrasquillo, 2013). The deaths attributed to the disease increased by 68 percent between 2000 and 2010 while those attributed to other heart-related diseases declined by 16 percent. The number of people living with Alzheimer is estimated to increase by 40 percent to 7.1 million by 2050 (Morgan & Carrasquillo, 2013). Currently, the disease is the sixth largest cause of death in the US. The causes of Alzheimer disease Alzheimer is a neurodegenerative disease that is caused by death of brain cells that happens over a long period of time. According to Dash and Villemarette-Pittman (2005), the postmortem or autopsies of victims of the disease often show tiny inclusions o f in the nerve tissue thus suggesting the disease leads to death of the brain cells. Genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that lead to death of brain cells thus leading to memory loss and decline in cognitive functioning of the individual (Welsh, 2006). Risk factors One of the risk factors that lead to Alzheimer is family history and genetics of an individual. Risk genes and deterministic genes influence the likelihood of developing the disease (Welsh, 2006). The risk genes is the apolipoprotein E-e4

Global Branding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Global Branding - Essay Example itical to note that the debate of the standardization versus adaptation is largely rooted into the overall discussion on the globalization and anti-globalization debate. Despite the increase in the overall anti-globalization sentiments across the globe there are still efforts towards the standardization as well as the adaptation of the brands across regions. The debate therefore between the localization and the offering of the standardize products across all the regions largely depends upon how the organizations take into consideration different factors. Though both the approaches towards the brand strategy also required to be explored from the perspective of how they may have an impact on the marketing as well as the financial outcomes for the organizations. This paper will discuss and explore the issue of how the standardization as well as adaptation may have on the marketing outcomes such as prices, premium, market shares besides discussing as to how the same can have an impact on the financial performance of the organization. Branding itself has become one of the challenging aspects of managing the overall marketing strategy of the firm. Marketers have to actually now shift from the product standardization to the brand standardization as increased awareness of the global consumers actually require firms to cater to the uniform needs of the consumers also. Branding as a process actually refers to the process of connecting the name and the reputation to a person or an item. As such, the overall breadth and scope of the branding has expanded and often covers the products and even different product ranges. (Whitelock and Fastoso et al., 2007, pp. 252--270) Increasingly, international marketing experts believe that the share of the globally standardized brands is increasing at relatively greater pace. The entry of luxury brands into Asian markets speaks volumes about the penetration of the global brands into the markets which were previously not served by these

Variability of Blood Glucose Concentration and Short-term Mortality in Article

Variability of Blood Glucose Concentration and Short-term Mortality in Critically Ill Patients - Article Example 244). They conclude their introduction with the hypothesis that the SD of blood glucose concentration, when studied in a group of critically ill patients, will be a reliable and independent predictor of mortality. In describing their materials and methods, the researchers note that they are using a multi-center, retrospective observational study; the data collection for which was part of a pre-existing quality assurance activity approved by local institutional ethics committees. The research was focused upon four hospitals and controls established to include population data from all patients admitted to the intensive care units from January 2000 to October 2004. The timeframes were constructed specifically to ensure the collection of complete blood glucose data and patient characteristics. The authors proceed to note very specific controls regarding data integrity and collection methods. It should be noted that only two of the hospitals in the study collected prospective information to allow the researchers to identify diabetic patients; an important determiner in blood glucose management in general and critically-ill patient mortality specifically.

Health economics Charles e phelps,, Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health economics Charles e phelps,, - Essay Example A risk premium is the average expected loss. Ua represents the utility function of an averse person showing the level of satisfaction at income level Ia. X is the risk premium. The graph above represents the levels of satisfaction of two individuals with different levels of income. Io is the expected value. From the graph, Ia is less than Io meaning that the averse person receive a low income and consequently has a utility level that is lower than the expected utility. In the expected benefit calculation, where â€Å"m† is the medical treatment, Pm is its price, f is the probability that an event will occur and C is the co-payment rate, why does it matter that M depends on C? This is because co-payment helps in the reduction of medical care consumption costs. Without copayment, an individual may not be able to access and afford medical treatment. Copayment is also important when it comes to covers relating to medical services since it helps an individual to prevent unwanted expenses. Therefore, when calculating an individual’s expected benefit, all expenses and benefits incurred or gained on medical services have to be considered. Copayment has to be considered since it covers an individual’s medical expenses and that is why M depends on C during calculation of expected benefit. This is the trend of individuals with risky lifestyles or jobs to acquire life insurance. It can make the insurance company face screening and signaling problems. Insurance is always more likely bought by individuals who are prone to higher risks than those with low risks. Insurance firms try to reduce the adverse selection problems of having those who insure big risk buying their product. They do this through adjusting prices and measuring risk. Consequently, life insurance firms need medical documents and will not give policies to individuals who have long term illness.

HIST 106 - Global Environmental History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HIST 106 - Global Environmental History - Essay Example In that with the doubling of the global population, there is a tripling of the global urban population. With this data, an estimate half of the world's population within the next few years will be living in urban areas. The growth and level of urbanization vary considerably by region. Among developing countries, the ones with the highest proportion of their population living in urban areas are Latin American countries. However, South and East Asia are likely within the next 30 years to have the fastest rates of growth globally. In addition, it is in cities and towns that almost all of world population growth. Both the redistribution and increase of the earth's population are likely to affect the interaction between population and urban environment and the natural systems. Through analyzing the urbanization dynamics, the relationship between human activities and environment can be better understood in that the urban areas increased populations density leads to the infectious diseases rapid spread. Historically urban areas death rates have consequently been high. In this way urban areas only way of maintained their existence until now was through the constant rural people in-migration (Clement, Matthew and James 31). The urban areas growth comes mainly from the migration increase to the urban population’s fertility and the cities. ... Pressing global challenges such as poverty, climate change and food insecurity are considered essentially problems that are human induced. In the world today, there are approximately 6.77 billion people and the world’s population is estimated to be growing at a 1.14 percent rate annually. This equates to an estimate 80 million people on earth annually. Projections indicate that at the current rate there will be 7.2 billion people inhabiting earth by the year 2015. More than half the world’s population currently comprises of urban areas. In this aspect, urbanization can be considered as a global phenomenon that not only transforms people’s lifestyles and values but land use. The rural areas influx of people into the city in search of a better life cannot be put into figures since it is too astounding. Because of this the biodiversity aspect of the environment, is under threat constantly. Like greenhouses gases emissions from mega cities, which are a major source o f global, warming. Consumption patterns and human activities in these cities coupled with commercial and industrial concentrations; drain neighboring and urban areas found resources. While also compromise these areas environmental conditions. The current trend in population is definitely adversely impact and bearing on the natural resources quality, such as food, water, air and forest and in this aspect there is a global shortage of food and portable water. With the shrinking of the world forest area the air quality in some areas and cities lead to some people having health problems and the environmental conditions and the current environmental conditions are